The jury finished its third day of deliberations this afternoon in the attempted murder trial of dressage trainer Michael Barisone.
The panel of 10 men and two women in Morristown, N.J., spent the morning listening to an audio track that replayed the testimony from Dr. Steven Simring, the psychiatrist who testified for the defense. He concluded Barisone not only suffered from delusional disorder but also was dealing with persistent depressive disorder.
A conflict with Lauren Kanarek, who was also Barisone’s student, and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, had escalated to the point where Barisone became “increasingly desperate.” He viewed himself in a situation where he felt physically threatened by Kanarek and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, according to the psychiatrist, and he saw no way out.
When Barisone grabbed a gun from his safe and drove from his stable to the farmhouse on his Long Valley, N.J., property to confront Kanarek on Aug. 7, 2019, she was shot twice. He says he does not remember the encounter, which put her in a hospital Intensive Care Unit for 19 days.
The jury appears to be weighing a verdict of insanity in the case, judging by the fact that they chose to hear the psychiatrist’s testimony again. Deliberations will resume this morning in the Morris County Courthouse.